NERD Game Scores for Thursday, April 30, 2015

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April 30, 2015

Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

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Most Highly Rated Game
Washington at New York NL | 19:10 ET
Strasburg (24.0 IP, 100 xFIP-) vs. deGrom (24.1 IP, 102 xFIP-)
Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg was an elite amateur prospect known for his plus-plus arm speed who was selected first overall in the 2009 draft. Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom was a markedly less elite amateur prospect selected 272nd overall (and signed for $95,000) in the 2010 draft. Here are their average fastball velocities roughly a month into the season: 94.2 mph and 94.0 mph, respectively. One finds that those are the seventh- and tenth-best such marks among the league’s 112 qualified pitchers). One concludes that all human endeavor is afflicted by awfulest chance.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: New York NL Television.

Two Brief Notes
Debut Alert
The purpose of this brief entry is to note that left-handed St. Louis prospect Tim Cooney is expected to make his major-league debut for that same club at 1:45pm ET against Philadelphia. Cooney was ranked 10th among rookie-eligible Cardinals this offseason by Kiley McDaniel, who wrote of the 24-year-old that he possess an 89-92 mph fastball, “a fringy to average curveball, a below-average slider, and an above-average changeup” — with positive reviews both of Cooney’s control and command.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Los Angeles AL at Oakland, starts at 3:35pm ET, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.

Complete Schedule
Here’s the complete and very sortable table for all of today’s games. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and also the rest of the internet. Note that the calculations both for team and game NERD scores integrate playoff odds into same. Read more about those changes here, if you’re the sort of person accustomed to making poor life decisions.

NERD Image 4

Away   SP Tm. Gm. Tm. SP   Home Time
Dave Buchanan PHI 2 1 4 6 7 STL Tim Cooney* 13:45
Gar. Richards LAA 6 5 5 5 5 OAK Jesse Chavez* 15:35
Mike Leake CIN 6 5 6 4 6 ATL Shelby Miller 19:10
Daniel Norris TOR 4 8 5 6 3 CLE T.J. House* 19:10
St. Strasburg WAS 8 5 7 7 8 NYN Jacob deGrom 19:10
Chris Sale CHA 10 1 7 1 10 MIN Trevor May 20:10
Alfredo Simon DET 5 4 6 7 7 KC Danny Duffy 20:10
James Paxton SEA 8 5 7 10 6 HOU Scott Feldman 20:10

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.





 

Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.

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Well-Beered Englishman
8 years ago

Surprisingly, yesterday’s Orioles-White Sox game was best viewed with the undulcet tones of Hawk Harrelson. The Orioles broadcasters talked constantly, as if allowing one second of silence would be crushingly depressing to the viewers. Meanwhile, because the Orioles crushed the White Sox, Hawk shut up quickly, instead favoring a sort of depressed silence punctuated by the odd Hemingwayish description of events. It suited the atmosphere perfectly.

Hawk Harrelson covering an empty stadium: NERD score of 20.

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coreyerb
8 years ago
Reply to  Well-Beered Englishman

I had this exact thought yesterday but kept it to myself for fear that admitting I enjoyed a Hawk Harrelson/Steve Stone broadcast would bring shame on my descendants. But I agree! The predictable “this game isn’t going well so I’m just going to pout and not talk for like 3 innings” routine was perfect to hear the ambiance of the empty stadium and occasionally catch the few fans outside the gate.

I switched back and forth and I also surprisingly enjoyed Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer’s take on social events. I thought they made their point without getting all Bob Costas-preachy and it was nice to hear their connection to the city and experience of the different eras after in Palmer’s case 50 years there.

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